Do my users have to have...

[Lanc1988]

Do users of my program have to have the .net framework? Or is there a way I can add needed files to my install so they don't have to download it?

 

I'm pretty sure this can't be done, but I want to be sure because I lose quite a few people because they don't want to take the time to install a 23 mb file to be able to run programs made in vb.net

[Varghjärta]

This is a large concern for me as well, and have made me gone over to c++ many a times. But for all you are rewarded using .net (the ease of development etc etc) comes with that price, that you gotta have the .net runtime installed to use the application. There's no way around that I know of.

 

One can only hope that Windows will ship with the runtime preinstalled in the near future so that soon everyone will have it, which I think is MS's idea. But until that time you gotta get it some other way.

 

I'm not sure about the possibility to embed the runtime with ones program but do you really want your application to be 23+mb?

 

But perhaps somehow it's possible to embed only those libraries one uses and thus lessen the size needed. Pehaps... I doubt it though!.

But I wish it was possible as I seldom use very many "system.*" classes as I make my own collections etc etc to suite the application in question.

[penfold69]

The beauty of having the .Net Framework, is that the download will have to be performed once, and then multiple programs can use it. It's the whole ethos of shared libraries.

 

That being said, I'm not aware of the ability to install individual parts of the framework - when other programs come to use it, it will only be partially installed and therefore could cause other programs to not function correctly.

 

A lot of newer programs are coming with the framework already (The HP printer software suite includes it as default, for example) so chance are, if they have a new piece of hardware or software, they might already have the framework installed without knowing it.

 

Best you can do is provide it on your CD, or point them to a link to download it.

 

B.

[PlausiblyDamp]

The .Net framework is an 'all or nothing' deal - there is no supported way to only deploy some of it.

As more and more software starts to use .Net then more and more people will have it installed (win 2003 ships with .Net, anyone using windows update will get .Net, IIRC XP SP2 includes it).

This is not a new issue as exactly the same arguments were raised regarding the VB runtimes (large for their time), the MFC runtimes etc.

As penfold says point them to a download link / the MS website were they can get it ,or provide both a framework included / not included version for download.

[donnacha]

don't forget to add a launch condition that checks for the presence of the framework on starting the install.

 

If your clients are slow abot accepting the framework then they probably do not have the right version of mdac and jet if you need it. So you might want to add checks for them as well.

 

Isin't there a bootstrap version of deployment which automaticlly includes the framework in the deployment.

 

As a rule make sure the client knows the framework is going in and that their IT department are happy with that, some may be slow to accept it.

[sgt_pinky]

Here's the bootstrapper plugin. Now has localised versions, which is a nice touch ;)

 

.NET Framework Bootstrapper